LAKEWOOD, Colo.—Western Area Power Administration has procured renewable energy certificates, or RECs, on behalf of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, the managing and operating contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, also known as NREL.

These certificates will help NREL meet renewable energy goals set by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification requirements for the new DOE/NREL Research Support Facility on the NREL research campus in Golden, Colo. DOE is seeking LEED Platinum certification—the highest certification—for this new building.

In response to the April 28, 2010, Request for Proposals, 3 Degrees Group, Inc. has been selected to supply approximately 6,000 RECs over a 10-year period. Western's Upper Great Plains Region coordinated the purchase

RECs, or "green tags," are the intangible environmental benefits associated with generating one megawatt-hour of electric energy by a renewable resource. Renewable energy producers can sell the credits, as well as the power itself, to allow all renewable resources to compete on a level playing field with conventional resources by recognizing there are other external costs associated with fossil energy sources. Agencies that are not near the source of renewable generation can buy RECs and claim the environmental benefits to meet their own or mandated goals.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC. Visit NREL online.

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Western Area Power Administration annually markets and transmits more than 10,000 megawatts of clean, renewable power from hydroelectric powerplants owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 15 western and central states. It is part of the Department of Energy.